Indian Aces off to winning start

Manila: Indian Aces sailed past Singapore Slammers 26-16 in the inaugural match of the much talked about International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) here on Friday.The evening started with mixed-doubles tie of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza (Aces), who were up against the Slammers pairing of Bruno Soares and Daniela Hantuchova.After being broken early, Soares and Hantuchova broke back but the clever shot-making of Bopanna and Mirza ultimately gave them the one-off set 6-4.

Next up was past champions singles match between Fabrice Santoro, representing Aces, and Australian legend Patrick Rafter. It turned out to be leagues first shootout at 5-5 in the set, which Santoro won with little difficulty.For Slammers, the lone success of the day came in the men’s doubles where Tomas Berdych and Nick Kyrgios beat Bopanna and Gael Monfils 5-2.

Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic then hammered Daniela Hantuchova 6-0 in the women’s singles to give Aces further cushion.The men’s singles was played between Monfils and Lleyton Hewitt. The Frenchman won 6-1. Later in the day, UAE Royals mauled home side Manila Mavericks 29-24.